LAHORE - The Punjab AIDS Control Programme (PACP) during the year 2018 conducted AIDS and Hepatitis tests of 42,000 inmates and 33,000 truck drivers apart from other initiatives, said spokesman for PACP.

HE said that the Punjab AIDS Control Program set up 38 testing centers in all jails of Punjab, where free tests for hepatitis B, C, blood sugar, HIV and other tests were conducted for all prisoners. The free tests were available for prison population. The PACP adheres with international protocols on voluntary HIV testing

The PACP continued mass jail screening activity in all jails of Punjab and in the year 2018, over 42,000 were tested. Free Hepatitis B, C, Syphilis, and HIV treatment was started in all prisons across the province. All Hep B negative prisoners were vaccinated as well.

The PACP continued to scale up services for bus and truck drivers. In the year 2018, six new free camps were set up. The following Truck adda sites were started in Punjab in 2018, Khanpur Bagga Sher, Muzaffar Garh

Juma Mor Sakhi Sarwar, DG Khan, Mianwali Hotel, Sher Shah Chowk Multan, Chowk Metla, Vehari Wasim Auto Market Main GT, Road Taxila Jalebi Chowk, Kallar Kahar

Overall the PACP has screened 33,000 bus and truck drivers through free camps at 24 sites in 16 cities of the province with support of the Punjab Goods Transport Association.

The PACP set up Special three Investigation Camps in three districts: Lahore, Nankana Sahib, and Vehari

The Program enhanced services for transgeders and set up screening facility at Fountain House centers in Farooqbad, Faisalabad and Sargodha Centers.

The PACP set up special camps for Injecting Drug Users in two cities; Lahore and Sargodha. The IDUs testing positive for HIV are being provided free treatment for Hep B, C, and HIV and free periodic tests